A Dragon's Insanity
by Keijt Kotchenski
Summary: When a dragon is blessed and cursed, he's going to meet a lot of conflict. Itzal, a talented shadow dragon is given the opportunity to study at the most prestigious academy. However he also has to deal with his own insanity. Rated M for gore/psychology.
1. Prologue

**Hey lads/lassies. As intended I will start another project or fanfiction if you prefer that I call it that. This fanfiction is made entirely of OC's, so I will now stress that there will be no Spyro or Cynder or Ignitus and so on. Once you have gotten over that fact then well enjoy and as always please review, I'm always open for critique/improvement.**

_~Prologue~_

_It was a stormy and rainy night. The rain poured down on the terrain moisturing the earth. The wind, strong and full of force. Somewhere in this vast world in the most northern part, we find a place known as Rondo Dragon School. Rondo Dragon School are one of the many dragon schools that exist around the world, whereas Rondo Dragon School have been known for producing strong and sometimes smart fighter dragons, wether it'd be fire, shadow, earth, light or any other type of dragons. But like every other schools they all have their black sheeps, Rondo Dragon School's black sheeps are the high amount of evil and sometimes maniacal dragons. _

_Every 10 years 15 new dragons and dragonesses would be born at every school. None of them had parents, but they had each other as well as the other dragons who took care of the them till the day they had to go somewhere else in life. 7 years after birth, the dragons had matured to the point where they're ready to receive their names at a ceremony called The Cottier Ceremony. _

The ceremony was moving towards the end with the final few dragons being given their names. The last one to step up was a male shadow dragon, he had black scales with a charcoal colered underbelly, two forward facing ebony black horns, wings as black as the night sky and a sharp tail end. As he stepped up to the elder shadow dragon he stood ready to recieve his name, though he cared very little for that. _"A troublemaker are you? As such you shall have a name as one. You shall be known as Itzal because your heart is as shadowy as your name."_ The sounds of laughter echoed through the cave, the newly named Itzal didn't seem to care, he took his stand amongst the other newly named dragons. As the laughter silenced the elder stood forth to finish his speech. _"As we witness these new younglings they now have a whole future ahead of them. Where their destiny in life will lead them we will not know, but I expect that our teachers and you fellow dragons will help them on their way to a path of glory."_ Cheers thundered through the cave, the young ones was welcomed into the ranks.

As such the lives of the new dragons and dragonesses was about to begin and not one moment was wasted as they would all assigned to one of two classes for the upcomming study years. Before that happened they would all have to go through a series of tests where they would check their math capabilities, langauge understanding, battle strategies and fighting abilities. Itzal walked into his math test, his supervisor was an earth dragon that was mostly known as Numbers. _"Now don't worry Itzal I will not judge you for who you were, because that is all in the past, now when you're ready please explain the basis of fraction division and multiplication for me." _Itzal gave him a strange look wondering if he was joking or just wasting his time. After explaining, Numbers smiled at him. _"Good now for something a bit more advanced, in this paper you will find ten different figures, I now want you to explain how to calculate the area and volume in at least seven of them."_ Once again Itzal was baffeled at the easy question, and not only did he explain 7 of them but all 10 of them. Numbers now looked at him with an even bigger smile. _"Good, now for your final question which noone has answered yet. What is the volume of a Klein bottle?"_ Itzal sighed. _"It has no inside, thus it can't contain any fluids."_ Numbers eyes widened up in excitement, he was happy to announce that he would be on the high rank of the math class and he was looking forward to teaching him.

After Numbers "easy" test, Itzal went to the next room where his language test would be held. His supervisor was a strict fire dragoness known as Fiona. She was a pure witch, and she didn't seem to like Itzal at all. The test consisted of Itzal explaining various grammar rules as well as finding errors in a sentece. She was less than amused at him getting everything correct, and as a result she was forced to put him on the high rank of the class. What a witch, Itzal thought to himself, but he continued to the next room where he would be tested in battle strategy. His supervisor was a wind dragon named Ara who was known as a master when it came to strategizing. Itzal's test consisted of him countering his opponents move as well as defeating the enemy with only limited resources. Itzal excelled and was once again put on the high rank of the class.

For his final test, Itzal went to the gym where his fighting abilities would be tested. The test would pin two dragons against each other and then they would see how well they would fight. The supervisor was a shadow dragon known as "Treasach". _"Let the final test commence. We shall now see the final two, Itzal and Arkallius."_ Itzal stepped onto the arena and stared at his opponent, a light dragon known as Arkallius. _"So Itzal, passed any tests yet?"_ Arkallius slightly grinned and was accompanied by a few other dragons laughter. Itzal responded with a smile and got into his fighting stance. Arkallius did the same and both were now ready to begin. _"So here are the rules: The first one to either give up or end outside the arena will lose, you will be valued by your effort in this battle."_ And with the sound of a gong, the battle had begun. Arkallius spend no time and flew straight towards Itzal. In one quick move Itzal stepped aside, grabbed Arkallius neck, swung him around and then released, sending him on a trip outside the arena, quickly and efficiently ending the battle. Itzal's victory came as a big surprise to everyone else.

In a fury Arkallius got up and charged towards Itzal who was no longer paying attention. Itzal turned around to see Arkallius clawing his skin. Itzal yelled out a scream of pain and next to him stood an angry Arkallius ready to do more damage. _"Break it up this instant!"_ Treasach yelled. Such a terrifying yell caused everyone to pause what they were doing._"Arkallius get out of here, all of you leave this instant, which class you made it to will be announced tommorrow morning."_ Treasach took one look at Itzal's scar and then took him to his room. He asked him to wait and then later returned with the other shadow dragons. They were five dragons and three dragonesses in total. Treasach began to glow and a lot of scars was revealed, almost covering his body. They all watched in awe and wondered what this was all about. _"This is a speciality for shadow dragons, the ammount of scars you have corresponds to the ammount of battle experience you have. Take that to heart and remember that tommorrow your ten years of hard studying and fighting begins."_ None of them wanted to leave, they all wanted to stay and hear Treasach's tales of battles, feuds and experience. However none of them got the honor to hear it and as a result, all went to their rooms to sleep.

Itzal laid down on his bed wondering, what was wrong with Arkallius and why does the shadow get a scare everytime he is hurt in battle? As mystifying as it was, Itzal didn't feel like putting any more effort into his thought and went to sleep. "_Ten years of studying and fighting. Well if that is all it takes for me to get my freedom, I guess I have no reason to complain._". As Itzal closed his eyes he drifted off into sleep.

The next morning everyone was awoken early. Everyone rushed to see the list and watch how high a class did they end in and who would be their fellow classmates. Itzal looked to see that he and twelve ofther had made it into the highest ranking class. The rest was either at medium rank or low rank. After checking the list Itzal noticed Arkallius had made it into the same class. Itzal looked to his left to see Arkallius checking his test results. Arkallius must have sensed this since he quickly turned to stare at Itzal. They exchanged an evil glare between each other before Arkallius eventually left with a few of his friends. Itzal went over to check his results, and to his own surprise had made ranked 1, amongst all the male dragons and ranked 2 overall, only beaten by a small margin by a dragoness named Aquarellis. An hour passed and the elder dragon showed up to tell them that teaching year had now officially begun. "_And so it begins"_, Itzal thought to himself.

**And that marks the end of the prologue. I really have nothing to add other than review if you have any constructive criticism. Also don't worry I will not cronical the 10 years, this is just to get the story started.**

**Untill next time take care.**

_~Master strategist Keijt Kotchenski~_


	2. Turning a new leaf

**And so I got around to write the first real chapter. This is 10 years after, and now Itzal is getting close to graduating from Rondo Dragon Academy. What might the future hold? Read and find out. Enjoy :)**

_~Chapter 1~_

_Itzal excelled throughout the 10 years of studying, and he was now one week away from graduating. What was in store for Itzal's future, he did not know but something was definitely in store for him. _

Itzal was outside the cave entrance enjoying the snow, it was one of the few days where a snow storm wasn't whipping around and it seemed like a lot of the other dragon's decided to take in the enjoyment. It was also not too long ago that new dragons were born and the caretakers made sure that the youngsters got the chance to experience the snow early on. Itzal looked to his left and saw his friend Inferus, who was part fire and part shadow dragon. He looked like a regular fire dragon with an orange underbelly, red scales, a mix of yellow and orange wings, a sharp tail end and two amber horns that curled the same way a mountain goats horns does. The thing that set him apart was his slightly darkened color. _"I remember when we were that young, and I got to say that time really flies eh?"_ , Itzal nodded and he knew it was true, time was flying and he had no idea what to do with his life after graduation. "_So I was talking to Launce and he is willing to offer me a spot in him and his brothers group,"_ Inferus said in enthusiasm. Itzal responded by staring at him, he knew who Launce and his brother were. Launce's brother was the leader of a group of shadow dragons that attacked any dragon that looked like they had anything of value. To say the least, Itzal was not too enthusiastic and said nothing to his friend. _"I also asked them if they would accept you and they agreed almost straight away, so it looks like the two of us are going on an adventure together huh?"_ Inferus said carefully and in a slightly jolly tone. Itzal continued to stare at him, and he eventually got up and glared at his friend. "D_o you have any clue about what you have just agreed to do?"_ Itzal responded in a serious tone the made Inferus flinch. "_Those guys are bandits who seek to make an easy living off the fortune of others. Now go and tell him that I am certainly not going to be a part of that and you are also not a part of it._" With that said Itzal went back to his room to relax and get warm again. "_What is that idiot thinking?"_ He thought to himself.

Day turned to night and Itzal just finished practicing with Treasach, he gave special classes to the shadow dragons, to teach them battle techniques that many instructors would refuse to teach. After practice he was approached by Launce who was also a shadow dragon. "_So Itzal, I would like to inform you that we are happy to accept you into our group, someone with your might and smarts must serve a worth master such as my brother."_ Itzal gave him an evil glare. "_First of all he is not your brother, you're an adopted pile of flesh that he he felt sorry for, and finally I'm not interested in joining your little tea party." _Launce smiled, and obviously not taking him serious. "_Now, now my ferocious friend, you can think over this for a few days before you finally decide." _Launce left with a smile on his face, felling really confident that he had made a good impression on Itzal. What an idiot was all Itzal could think, as he was already clear that he would not join them.

_A few days passed without anything interesting occurring, except for the occasional times where Itzal constantly had to say no to Launce while trying to talk Inferus out of joining them. Obviously Launce didn't seem to take a no for an answer, and Inferus still had his mind set on joining up with Launce. Three days before graduation all the dragons was called together for an important message._

They were all wondering what was about to happen, and as soon as the excitement lifted the roof, the elder shadow dragon went on stage to speak. The thing that caught everyone's attention was the ice dragon accompanying him. The crowd went silent.

"_Fellow soon to be graduates, I have exciting news to share with you all. This is Wojtek, a former veteran and now teacher at the prestigious Cyne's Dragon Academy. Our school has been chosen along with twenty other dragon schools that will be scouted for talented dragons and dragonesses. Such a thing has not happened for this school in the past fifty years where all our students flunked every single test. _

Some dragons were laughing thinking, what losers and some of them were looking with a bit more serious expression on their face. Wojtek stepped forward and the crowd cheered. "_Thank you for this warm welcoming. I would like to point out that I myself was born here in this school. I too went through the test that all of you are about to take and I flunked it as well. In all seriousness though, to separate the best from the worst, the test will be split into two parts with the first half of you going through a seven hour test where we will test you in everything imaginable. The other half will go through a vigorous battle tournament that will also take seven hours to complete. Then the next day you will switch so everyone goes through the same tests, and here is the best part it will start tomorrow."_

As soon as Wojtek finished, panic started to erupt amongst some of the dragons, and some of them didn't seem to care. Wojtek then started speaking again. "_In a few hours a list will be revealed and there you can all see where you start."_

_Time passed and it seemed like some of the dragons were stressing a lot, and as soon as the list was revealed the dragons who would be tested began to study, and those who had to fight went to Arkallius or some of the other dragons for training, however a few dragonesses went to Itzal for practice but he denied them. He had other things to worry about, and it was not about the test he had tomorrow but it was Launce who was constantly pestering him. Itzal had planned to get rid of him to avoid further disturbances and hopefully it would lead to Inferus not joining them. They agreed to meet outside the school, somewhere hidden where they could work out this issue once and for all, or at least that was what he thought._

Launce was outside, far away from the school looking for Itzal. It was dark and the snowstorm didn't make things any better. Launce tried to call out for Itzal several times but he did not receive any response. "_Itzal this is not one bit funny. SHOW YOURSELF!"_ Launce yelled at the top of his lungs, and still did not receive any response. Suddenly Launce was attacked from behind and knocked to the ground, the attacker put his paws on the body, staring at him with a vicious and hungry look. Launce was screaming for his life. The attacker went for Launce's throat viciously tearing it apart spilling blood all around, it didn't take long before Launce was laying lifeless. The attacker stood before the now dead Launce. He turned the dead body around so the stomach was facing upwards and used his claws to cut the stomach open. He tore the flesh apart, and started feeding on the dragon, he snapped the bones apart to free the organs, he ate it all, the heart, the lungs, kindeys and so on. When it was all gone it looked like he was done, however he then began to tear the limbs apart ripping the bones out, eating the scales, the flesh and everything that could be eaten. Only the head remained. He pulled out the horns and clawed off the scales removing the skull, cracking it open eating the brains, the eyes and everything until all that remains where the bones and the skull. The unknown dragon stared with a sinister smile at the pile of bones.

The next morning Itzal rushed down to the dinner hall where he would be attending the first half of the test, which was the seven hour test of everything imaginable. He felt restless as he was about to begin the test, wondering why he felt like he did. Itzal shaked off the feeling and buckled down to do the test. The seven hours felt like an eternity for him, but mostly because he had no trouble dealing with it, like when he was young and being tested he knew the answer to every question. After the test some of the smarter dragons was panicking about the test hoping they did well, while others was more concerned about the next test, either because they knew they did good or because they were not too smart themselves. Inferus walked up to Itzal, he wanted to discuss tomorrow to see how they should prepare the best possible way. "_By the way Itzal what is that on your chin?"_ He pointed to something on Itzal, it looked like a scale. Itzal took it off and looked at it, he felt he knew why it was there but he just said it was nothing. The two went out to the prepared arena to find someone to talk to about what they should expect during tomorrows test.

**And this is where I end this chapter, and yes I'm a psychotic and sadistic person. Anyways I hope you enjoyed and as always review if you want to see something changed. Take care.**

_**~Master Strategist Keijt Kotchenski~**_


	3. A fighter's path to glory

**Now I know, last chapter was a bit insane and violent, but that is the direction I want to go in, but don't worry things won't be that insane for now. Itzal now has to go through the vigorous fighting tournament after excelling the first test, well how is that going to turn out? Enjoy :)**

_~Chapter 2~_

_Itzal and Inferus went to the arena to look around for someone they could talk to about the fighting test. They didn't have to look for long as Treasach approached them, it seemed like he was giving information to everyone, or maybe just the shadow dragons, they didn't know._

"_I assume you want to know about the next test"?_, Treasach asked. They both nodded and he began to explain. "_Here's the deal they have five times best of three fighting groups where they will test your endurance and overall strength. This takes all in all five and a half hours, the final one and a half will be best of five tournament with one dragon standing as the winner. They test your determination and overall spirit here."_ Itzal wondered why they would be so excessive since they were only 15 competitors in all. Treasach explained that they had brought many skilled fighter dragons with them so that everyone would be tested equally in all fields. He finally pointed out that dragons and dragonesses were seperated to the point where the only opponents they would face weren't each other. Inferus had a face of horror, while Itzal didn't seem to care, Treasach noticed that and turned to him. "_Don't get cocky now, they have brought along strong fighters, even the legendary Stingers._" Inferus horror face instantly turned into something greater than horror, Itzal still didn't seem to care. "_The stingers have been crowned as the strongest and most vicious tournament team ever. They are dangerous individually but together they are almost impossible to beat._" Inferus was well informed. Itzal however simply responded. "_Good, then I don't have to defeat that many opponents to prove my strength._" Both Treasach and Inferus flinched, they couldn't believe what Itzal was saying to them, he must be out his mind they thought. Treasach shook it off and told them some good advice. They were to go to bed and sleep right away and in the morning they must remember to stretch out as some dragons fell short because of that. They returned to their room, and before they separated Inferus wanted to give his thoughts to Itzal. "_I don't know how you can be so calm my friend, but even if we go our separate ways from here on, I want you to know I'm honored to have been your friend._" Itzal smiled, even he knew it would be sad to part ways with his buddy of many years, and playfully responded. "_Well if I turn out great, you can brag to people that you knew me when we were young._" Inferus smiled and went to his room, both wishing each other luck for tomorrow.

The day had occurred, and quite early. Both Itzal and Inferus followed Treasach's advice to stretch out and they followed each other to the arena. Out of all the dragons he noticed Arkallius and some of his goons, however the only thing Itzal wanted now, was for the two to reach the finals where Itzal could humiliate him once more. Inferus checked both his own and Itzal's first group. "_Well Itzal I only know one of your opponents and that's a dragoness who everyone refers to as Invu._" Itzal still didn't show much care, and once again Inferus commended him for it, however Inferus were to fight one of the Stingers, apparently the dragoness in the group. Itzal wanted to hear about it but Inferus told him to wait since she would be his last opponent in the group. Wojtek announced how things would be. They would be graded for their effort, survival, strategy and might in the battle. They didn't care if they won or lost, but he assured them that a victory would always be better than a loss. He also said that the dragons he had gathered to test them with are all talented and are about five to ten years older than them. Finally he noted that if they were pinned down for more than 3 seconds, they would lose the round. Also ending outside the arena, resulted in a loss. The beginning seemed horrible, with zero victories. The first eleven battles was a loss for everyone, the only difference was that the dragons had done better than the dragonesses.

The twelfth battle finished in a humiliating loss, an earth dragon was fighting a slim ice dragon. The battles ended in less than a flash, only now did Itzal start to wonder if these test dragons were better than he had expected. Wojtek made the announcement, "_Itzal it is your turn now!"_ Itzal moved up to the arena and prepared himself. He saw a shadow dragoness move up to the arena, she made a glamorous entrance, Itzal didn't seem amused at all. The dragoness stared at him obviously not amused either. "_I think you must have heard of my exploits in battle eh?"_ Itzal didn't respond and continued to stare. The dragoness was now less amused, though she also seemed puzzled. "_Could it be true, someone who hasn't heard about the great Invu?"_ Once again Itzal just stared. "_Very well then. I'm Invu, one of the most talented fighters amongst shadow dragonesses, you should feel honored to fight someone of my caliber."_ Itzal stared for a few second before giving off a grin. "_I would have more fun eating my own flesh than fighting a weakling like you."_ This released quite the laughter amongst everyone, however the only one who wasn't laughing was Invu herself. Wojtek signaled off the battle, and Invu took her first chance to strike out a Itzal. In one quick succession he stepped to the side and dodged her attack. However when he looked again she was gone. Confused he looked around, only to soon be attacked from behind and pummeled to the ground. Itzal quickly responded by stabbing Invu in the side, and quickly rammed her out of the arena. Frustrated Invu quickly got up and prepared herself for the second round. Invu didn't change her strategy and proceeded to attack right away, once again being caught off guard and allowing Itzal another easy victory. The third round ended the same way as well, and it caused great distress to Invu. Everyone was watching in awe, the first victory was made. "_But... But how? I've won many battles, tournaments, had way more training than you. How could I lose?"_ Invu said in confusion. "_You may be more experienced than me, but if you don't use it to your advantage, you can't beat anyone."_ Itzal said in a cold lecturing voice.

Inferus was up now and he was about to fight a fire dragon, who didn't look muscular but he certainly didn't seem weak either, and there was also something strange about the dragon. "_My name is Flint, good luck kid."_ Inferus was astonished, all the other dragons seemed like arrogant jerks. He was so surprised that he didn't notice the battle had begun and lost the first round almost instantly. Inferus quickly got back up and focused on the next round. Despite fighting bravely and valiantly he was eventually defeated, not winning a single round. He didn't seem to care though, mostly because Flint was so respectful towards him. Everything shifted around and a few rounds were one but only Itzal had won a fight so far, and it was now his turn again. His next opponent was an army dragon, which he noticed in the symbol on his right paw. For Itzal, he wasn't a big deal, in fact he was easier than his previous opponent and once again it resulted in a win for Itzal. Inferus stepped up again, now more focused than before since he knew what to somewhat expect. His next opponent was also an army dragon, although he had a different symbol and it was on his left paw. The thing about army dragons were their appearance. They didn't appear to have an element, but it was very confusing for Inferus to understand. It appeared to be an equal battle, with luck being the ultimate decider to who won. Both fighters had won two rounds each and in the end Inferus won by a landslide. The win felt great for Inferus and both him and Itzal was excited, but it meant most for Inferus as he was in a state of euphoria. The other dragons finished their first group and they had either one win or no wins at all, with only Itzal standing out with two victories. Itzal stepped up to his final battle in the group, where his finally opponent was an ice dragon. The thing that caught Itzal, was the dragon himself, he didn't look that old, but before he could question any further the battle had started. During the first round Itzal, noticed the dragon made a couple of beginners mistakes, and it resulted in an easy round win for Itzal. During the second round Itzal had no plans of ending the battle so easy. He charged his opponent grabbed him by the neck and lowly whispered. "_Don't lie to me, I know what you're hiding."_ Itzal kept him in that position but acted like he struggled so it wouldn't attract too much attention. "_You'll see, if you make it to the academy."_ The ice dragon coldly responded. Frustrated Itzal tightened his grip and sent his opponent out of the arena. The third round ended in a flash, and the final result was a clean score for Itzal with all three victories. Inferus stepped up to his final fight, he was about to fight the dragoness of the Stinger group. She was known simply as Yumi, and unlike Invu she didn't make a big deal of her entrance. Yumi simply stared at Inferus, while Inferus was too busy being excited to stand in front of one of the Stingers. When the battle began Yumi rammed into Inferus, head first. She was so fast that not one dragon in the room registered she had moved, until inferus was now laying on his back outside of the arena. Yumi discreetly stared at Itzal, he was surprised but he didn't showed it, instead he gave Yumi a smile. Unamused she got back into position and Inferus rose. "_Wow, the Stingers are stronger than I imagined."_ Inferus said to himself, he was still in awe at her speed and strength, he knew the Stingers were talented, but this was just ridiculous. Inferus lost the final two rounds in convincing fashion, he never even got the chance to attack his opponent. Pathetic! Yumi snarled. "_A youngling taking his first steps, have more talent than this school."_

Itzal didn't know what it was, but something definitely lit a fire inside him. He didn't want someone to humiliate his friend like that, but he would under no circumstance accept this kind of trash, even if she is a fighter in a legendary team. Itzal desperately wanted to attack her and prove her wrong. However a voice inside his head told him not to, his time would come soon.

Wojtek revealed the second group, no time to rest he said, the enemy is always awake. Inferus checked out the groups, a face of horror appeared across his face. _"Well, all my opponents are army dragons, so I might have a chance."_ Itzal nodded, and then expected Inferus to tell him about his group. There was a long silence before Inferus had the guts to spill the beans. "_Well your first opponent is a talented heavyweight fighter, a true master of control and attacks."_ Once again Inferus held a long pause before continuing. "_Your second opponent is Flint... And finally you have to fight..."_ A face of horror formed across Inferus's face, he couldn't bear to tell his friend. Itzal ignored him and went up to the list to check, his final opponent was a dragon named Alim. "_And who is he?"_ Itzal asked in a demanding tone. "_He's an ice dragon, and... __**sigh, **__he's also the Stinger's strategist."_ Inferus still felt bad telling his friend, but it still didn't seem to bother Itzal. He wanted to know about this dragon since it was going to be his first battle in the group. Inferus explained that he was very unpredictable as a fighter, and first and foremost, not one dragon has been able to outsmart him yet. "_Well everything has its first time I guess."_ Itzal said in a cocky voice. Inferus was surprised but he didn't react, he knew his friend never feared anything. Maybe he was able to do some magic, he thought to himself.

**Will I be going over all 5 groups? No, I have almost finished all the key parts for the real story to take place. As always I'm open for criticism and if you have anything you would like to include, you can let me know as well. Until next time take care everyone :).**

_**~Master Strategist Keijt Kotchenski~**_


	4. A fall from glory

**The feeling of having no more exams is a wondrous one. Yes I did listen to metal while writing this, found a 3 hour mix of songs by my all time favorite band, I guess it should give a violent/action packed chapter. Maybe be not, but I guess it should boost my self confidence. Can Itzal continue his winning streak or is it time for him to learn his place? Read to find out. Enjoy :)**

"_What is it you don't understand?"_ Inferus said in a scolding tone,

"W_e're not talking about army dragons here, we are talking strong, well trained and downright dangerous dragons."_

Itzal just smiled, he pointed out how Invu was the same thing and even she lost. Being unable to talk some sense into his friend, Inferus took a seat and watched as the second round unfolded.

The second round was a mixed bag of glorious victories and epic defeats. Itzal prepared himself as he now had to fight one of the Stingers, and apparently a strong one too. He stared at the ice dragon Alim, who to Itzal didn't seem too impressive or scary. Alim had white scales, navy blue underbelly, white iris, no horns, ice-like wings and a glaciated tail end. Where most dragons would flinch standing before one of the Stingers, Itzal seemed to care very little. The thing that struck Itzal as weird, was that Alim didn't speak, he only stared.

When the bell rang, Itzal expected a quick strike from Alim and was ready to move away if that were the case. That was not the case however, Alim laid down, yawned and then seemingly drifted off to sleep. Itzal wondered if this was some sick joke or maybe a well placed strategy. Not knowing what to expect Itzal charged forward and made a big jump in the air in front of Alim. As he looked downwards Alim had disappeared and before Itzal could react, he was struck from behind and crashed outside the arena. A shaken Itzal quickly got on his feet and looked behind him to see an unimpressed Alim.

"_I guess your victory over Invu was a fluke after all," _Alim said in a bored tone, "_but here's a spoiler, anyone without talent can beat her."_

Alim's remark earned him an evil glare from Invu herself.

"_Kid, you better not lose to this loser, you understand?"_ Invu said in a tone that made her sound like a scolding mother. Itzal stared back at Alim and grinned.

"_You must be legendary for having your heads so far up the asses on so many referees."_

Itzal's remark shocked everyone, before leading to one of the loudest roars of laughter anyone had ever heard.

"_That's it, he's finally lost it."_ Inferus whispered to himself.

"_No just look, what he did was very smart."_ Treasach whispered.

Treasach was right. As Itzal prepared himself he could see that Alim was blinded by his rage. As the second round began, Itzal had foreseen Alim's quick charge. Itzal spun and disappeared in an orb of smog. Incapable of protecting himself, Itzal surprised him from behind and rammed him with all he could muster. Rightfully so, the surprise attack sent Alim on a trip out of the arena, equalizing the score 1-1. At first there was silence, but shortly after Itzal received a cheer from almost everyone. Unamused Yumi approached Alim.

"_Are you trying to make us look bad or are you just really stupid?"_ Yumi snarled at the confused Alim.

"_It won't happen again, trust me."_ Alim assured her as he regained his conscious.

"_It better not, otherwise I'm going to slit your throat myself."_ Yumi replied coldly.

Itzal's success was sweet but short lived. The next round began with Alim charging towards Itzal, but at a slower pace. Itzal jumped high into the air preparing a counterattack, however Alim had predicted his move and jumped up as well catching Itzal off guard, and headbutting him to the ground. Frustrated and shaken Itzal prepared himself for what could be the final round. Sadly though, he was still shaken from the last attack and didn't fare much of a chance. One quick swipe from Alim's tail sent Itzal flying out of the arena knocking him out cold.

"_Itzal?... Are you aright?"_ Treasach inquired.

Slowly opening his eyes he got on his feet, maybe a little too quick as he quickly collapsed again.

"_Take it easy now, you just took a few beatings, it's not a good idea to get up too quickly."_ Treasach tried to relax the eager Itzal, but he didn't listen to him and still tried to get up, a few tries later he managed to get back up.

"_What happened?"_ Itzal asked.

"_You lost 3-1 against one of the stingers, so much for you doing some magic eh?"_ Inferus said mockingly. Itzal returned a glare to his friend, but his facial expression quickly changed to a dissapointed one.

Itzal witnessed a few battles before it was his turn again. He was going to fight a heavyweight earth dragon who according to Inferus is a master of attack and control. Shaken and barely able to stand on his feet he stumbled on to the arena. To Itzal's surprise the dragon stepping up to the arena was Flint. Wojtek announced that he had made a request to be the next opponent and the request was granted.

As both stood ready, or barely in Itzal's case the first round had begun. To Itzal' surprise, Flint didn't attack. Instead he laid down on his stomach and just eyed Itzal.

"_I won't fight you until you're ready."_ Flint said as he expressed a smile.

Itzal didn't return the smile and went in for the kill despite the fact that he couldn't even move in a straight line. Itzal's approached lead to his defeat as Flint only had to gently push him outside of the arena. Still shaken and confused Itzal staggered on to the arena and got ready for the second round.

The second round ended like the first. A now frustrated Itzal was starring at the eyes of defeat in the eyes. Frozen in fear he was incapable of any form of action during the third round.

"_Do you understand it now?"_ Flint asked. "_Your overconfidence got the best of you, and in the real world it would have had you killed by now."_

Itzal's blank and pale stare was enough of an answer for Flint.

_What is wrong with me? Why am I so scared, and how can I possibly get back into it?_ Itzal thought to himself as he was battling with his own feelings about what to do.

After some time Itzal had stopped shaking, he now stood firmly on the ground, he even returned a smile to Flint who began to smile as well.

Itzal's regained confidence pushed the fight into an equal 2-2 standing where both put on a strong show. Itzal had shown valiant strength throughout the final deciding round. As he was beginning to get the upper hand, fatigue began to set in and it eventually lead to his defeat. In one quick succession Flint had grappled Itzal by the tail and swung him out of the arena.

Itzal's landslide defeat would seem like a frustrating one, but quite the contrary he was happy. Flint had moved up to him and offered a paw to help him get back on his feet.

"_Even though I lost to you, I still feel like the winner of this little fight of ours."_ Itzal said with a smile.

"_And an interesting one it turned out be too."_ Flint responded. "_Tell you what, some day I will contact you again so we can have a proper fight and see who is the better one of us."_

Itzal appreciated the opportunity, and looked forward to it.

Itzal witnessed his friend Inferus annihilate another army dragon as he had been told he did with the one before that.

"_Treasach, I've been meaning to ask you."_ Itzal whispered. "_Shouldn't the army dragons be stronger than what they have appeared to be so far?"_

"_Oh they are strong."_ Treasach replied. "_When you fight them as a group that is. You see every army dragon is assigned a group of nine other dragons, and they then learn how to fight as a group. This results in them being very strong as a group, but because they are so used to this mentality they don't fare too well when they are on their own."_

As Inferus returned to his seat, Itzal couldn't help himself but praise his friend for his victory, commenting on how he had greatly improved since his first few defeats. Inferus responded with a smile.

"_Do you have any advice about my upcoming opponent?"_ Itzal asked.

"_Well he's big, hits hard and frankly I haven't heard about him having any weaknesses."_ Inferus replied.

"_I think I might be of assistance on that one."_ Treasach replied looking at Itzal. "_I saw him in a tournament a couple of years ago and I noticed a few mistakes that could potentially make him lose."_

Both Itzal and Inferus listened in excitement and interest.

"_If he finds one way to defeat his opponent he will do the exact same thing again, and it looks like he doesn't suspect anything if he's opponent mixes up their strategy or lures him into a trap. I also noticed that he's weak spot is under his left wing, so if you could lure him to the right edge of the arena and then hit him hard on his left side, perhaps you can snatch victory that way."_

"_Good enough for me."_ Itzal replied. As he began to walk up to the arena for his final battle, he was interrupted by Treasach.

"_Remember to grab a bull by the horn if it ever decides to charge."_ Treasach said.

Odd, was all Itzal could think, but he knew he had to take it into consideration. His opponent was, as Inferus had said, he's big, but Itzal guessed he should expect so much from an earth dragon.

During the beginning of the first round, his opponent stamped in the ground, which made it feel like he was about to destroy the entire arena in a big earthquake.

"_Scared yet?"_ He chuckled. Itzal was calm and it seemed to annoy his big opponent which lead him into attacking.

Itzal dodged each of his attacks and tried to figure out a pattern. When he felt he had a plan he took a hit and landed outside the arena. To his luck it didn't seem his opponent had notice, and as the second round began he quickly jumped backwards to the right corner.

As Treasach had predicted Itzal's opponent didn't take notice of anything and continued with the same onslaught of hits as before. Itzal seized his opportunity by spinning and disappearing in a smog ball. Like in his battle against Alim his opponent was once again incapable of defending himself and just as quickly Itzal rammed him in his left side. As Treasach had correctly predicted his opponent staggered out of the arena.

Annoyed by defeat the third round quickly began. It started out by Itzal's opponent leaping towards him quickly. Itzal wasn't prepared and in one palm strike he lost another round. Even though Itzal was surprised that a big dragon like him had that kind of speed, he couldn't sit there and think about it. Staggered Itzal got back up and prepared himself for the next round.

As predicted by Treasach, the earth dragon repeated his former attack again, this time Itzal was prepared and rolled to the side in the last possible second. Itzal's reaction sent his opponent crashing out of the arena. With an equal score, only the final round remained. Itzal's biggest gripe was that he didn't know what to expect now. Turning around he saw his opponent grinding his teeth in anger.

When the final round began both fighters stared each other down. The earth dragon suddenly stamped his front legs in the ground while growling. Itzal responded by growling as well. He began to feel a strange sensation surging through his body which caused him to stand up on his hind legs leaning forward. Both fighters kept staring at one another growling, while having a vicious look in their eyes. As the earth dragon began to charge towards Itzal, his body gave off a light green glow, the same with Itzal only he had readied his front legs to receive the attack, while he was glowing and ebony black aura.

As the two collided in a loud crash, a bright white light filled the entire arena. Every dragon in the arena used their wings to shield their eyes from the blinding light. As the light dimmed, the sight they were greeted with was an astonishing one, no one could believe what had just happened.

**So Itzal loses two fights, and ends the third one in a bang. Did he win did he lose. All of those questions (by questions I mean one question) will be answered... Right now... In the next chapter. Anyways I hope this episode turned out better and as always I'm open to criticism and ways to improve. As always take care and have a great day everyone :).**

_Master Strategist Keijt Kotchenski~_


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